Obama: ‘Nowhere to Go but Up’

President Barack Obama closes a folder after signing the last of three bills in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013 in Washington.

President Barack Obama said he is confident that the health law will ultimately be judged a success, and he downplayed recent polls showing his approval and trustworthiness ratings hitting all-time lows.

On his standing with the public, he said: “I’ve gone up and down pretty much consistently throughout,” he said, according to ABC’s writeup of the interview. He added: “But the good thing about when you’re down is that usually you got nowhere to go but up.”

Polls this month have shown deepening disappointment with the president. A Washington Post/ABC News poll released found Mr. Obama’s approval rating at 42%, tied for an all-time low in the poll, and his disapproval rating at 55%, its worst reading to date. The most recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, released in late October, found a 42% approval and 51% disapproval rating for Mr. Obama, all-time worst readings in the poll. Recent polls have also showed sharp drops in his likeability and trustworthiness among Americans.

On the bumpy health care rollout, Mr. Obama told ABC News that he is “absolutely convinced that at the end of the day, people are going to look back at the work we’ve done to make sure that in this country, you don’t go bankrupt when you get sick, that families have that security.” He added: “That is going be a legacy I am extraordinarily proud of.”

The health care-rollout has been marred by severe problems with the HealthCare.gov website and the cancellations of some existing health-care policies. The president has apologized for the insurance cancellations and has pledged to have the glitchy website running much better by Dec. 1. In a fresh delay, however, the administration announced Wednesday it would delay by one year the ability of small businesses to sign up for insurance through the site.

In the ABC News interview, Mr. Obama also indicated he may stay in Washington after he leaves office, at least for a few years.

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